Life, family, and music.
I am 10 years old. My parents often can’t pick me up from hockey practice until later. I’m not terribly upset because Aunt Linda lives one block from the rink. She always seems happy to see me. Her kids have grown, so I have the place to myself. No surprise—she’s baked fresh bread. A thick […]
The other day, I emailed 1,257 people, asking if 124 would volunteer to stream my song five times a day for five days on Spotify. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that everything is a percentage of a percentage. For example, I knew about 50 to 60 percent would open the email. I
Confessions of an Introverted Marketer Read More »
I was in a cowriting session the other day with a friend. She and I both presented some song ideas. We dissected each and looked at what was interesting, their strengths and weaknesses. The first one could go in this direction. It could be about this topic or that topic. The subtext would be about
This is where it began. My mumbly and slow worktape. I also found some old emails. Before my Notes app, I used to email myself lyrics. So below the song are a few screenshots of how this song started. This might be interesting to some of you and it might not be. I hope, though,
Voice Memo: The Birth of “Different Way” Read More »
I have this recurring dream. I’m on stage performing in front of a crowd, but I forget the words and melody. I start making up gibberish. Gibberish words over gibberish melodies while I strum my guitar. It’s like I’m scatting, but it’s not supposed to sound improvised. It’s supposed to sound like completed lyrics and
How I Write Melodies Read More »
A while back, I gifted this demo to my patron community on our secrets songs page. Many encouraged me to release it. Special thanks to Su H. in Germany for the extra push and help deciding on artwork. The song comes out April 4, but as a way of saying thanks for being a 3
New Single: Different Way Read More »
(From Aaron’s book On Songwriting: Practical Tips and Insights from a Decade in Music City) I’m often asked by songwriters whether or not they should move to Nashville. I remember asking my Nashville songwriter friends the same question when I lived in Denver. What they (and I) were really asking was, “Do you think I
Should You Move to Nashville? Read More »
Great question. You know, it’s different with albums than it is with singles. To be honest, it’s one part feel, one part marketing. One time, I asked my old label if we could just use an image without my name or any title on it. This seemed reasonable to me since, with the way people
Stephen asks, “How do you choose an album or single artwork?” Read More »
Absolutely. Back in 2003, I first heard Damien Rice’s debut album, O, in a friend’s car. I was devastated, thinking he was doing exactly what I wanted to do, but better. I felt depressed for a while, but then I grew to appreciate his work and use it as inspiration. I even incorporated elements inspired by
Around 2007, my wife remembered a book she’d read in a college creative writing class called The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo. She gave me her copy, and honestly, I’m not sure I would have written many of the songs I’ve written without it. Although it’s about poetry, its lessons apply equally to songwriting and storytelling.
This Book Taught Me to Write Better Read More »